Method of sterilizing beehives and the like



1 EY F. WILSON AND WILLIAM A.

SIGNORS T0 GENERAL LABORATORIES,

or antenna.

rrnrnon or s'rtrzrne No Drawing. Application flied November To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Hunter F. WILSON and WILLIAM A. HADFIELD citizens of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Sterilizing Beehives and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the control and extirpation of contagious bee diseases, and, more particularly, tothedisease known as foul brood in its various forms, and will be fully understood from the following description.

Tn combating the bee diseases above referred to, it is necessary to employ some means or agents sufficiently high in sterilizing power to destroy not only the living bacilli and bacteria causing the disease, but also the extremely highly resistant spores of some of these bacilli, and particularly of those causing the very virulent form of foul-brood known as American foul-broodi 2 The means employed must likewise be efi'ecnecessitate tive, in its most desirable form, to dissolve out from and cleanse the hive andhive parts of the organic matter and particularly the residue of dead larvae which form the most favorable medium for the development of the spores and the propagation of the various forms of bacteria responsible for the diseases. At the same time, they must be of such a nature that they will not leave the hive and hive arts distasteful to or uninhabitable b t e adult bees and thereby estruction of the hive or loss of the colony.

It has been found, in accordance with this invention, that the hive and hive parts may be completel r disinfected and sterilized against even t e most virulent form of foulbrood by the application in a suitable manner of solutions of soluble hypochlorites and particularly of sodium hypochlorite' For the treatment of the hive and hive parts, where a solvent action toward organic matter is not required, any suitable hypochlorite solution containing at least 1% of sodium hochlorite, and preferably about 3% may be employed, for example, by sprayin or painting on the interior of the h1ve an on HADFIELD, 0F MADISON, WISCONSIN, AS- OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, ACORPORATIQN BEEH n 'r man.-

at, was. Serial no. eoaue.

the hive arts. Where a solvent action upon organic matter is desired, a solution is employed containing free alkali in addition to the hypochlorite, the most suitable alkaline material being sodium carbonate. .With

of these parts, where substantially no organic debris is present, the solution empxl oyed need not contain excess free alkali.

here or anic matter is or may be present, particular in the treatment of combs, frames an supers, it is preferred to employ a liquid in which free alkali is present, the preferred solution containing about 3% sodium hypochlorite and 8 to 9% sodium carbonate. This solution may likewise be employed where large amounts of organic matter must be dissolved out, for example, in cleaning comb containing larvae dead and dying from the disease and their decomposed remains. The solution quickly dissolves out this organic matter, the caps of the cells having been previously removed, and destroys the bacteria and spores. completely sterilizing the comb and rendering it available for re-use.

It is clearly apparent that the specific nature of the hy ochlorite solution employed may be varied with the character of the work to be done by it, and particularly with reference to the presence of or anic debris. It is preferred however, to emp oy solutions havin a higher alkalinity, as above describe as-such solutions efi'ect the rapid solution of any organic matter that may be present, even if unsuspected. The treatment eflects a complete sterilization and leaves no residue polsonous to the bees or harmful to them.

We claim as our invention:

1. The method of disinfecting honey-producing and handling devices, bee-hives and hive parts which consists in applying thereto a solution of hypochlorites.

2. The method of disinfecting bee-hives and hive parts which consists in applying Wit thereto a solution of sodium hypochlorite and hiveparts which consists in applying containing free alkali. thereto a solution of sodium hypochlorite 3. The method of disinfecting bee-hives containing sodium carbonate in the propor- 1 and hive parts which consists in applying tion of substantially one to three times the 5 thereto a solution of sodium hypochlorite proportion of the sodium hy ochlorite.

containing sodium carbonate. HARLEY F. LSON. 4. The method of disinfecting beehives WILLIAM A. HADFIELD. 

